


A Cursed Gift

by GraySonOfGotham



Series: Alpha Funhouse AU [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Alpha Bruce, Alpha Damian, Alpha Dick, Alpha Tim, Alpha/Alpha, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, And Applied it, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Curses, Effects of the Lazarus Pit, Jason Learned his Lesson Last Time, Lazarus Pit, Life or Death Decisions, M/M, Major Character Injury, Matter of Life and Death, Mind Control, Near Death Experiences, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Jason, Pseudo-Incest, Relationship Reveal, Resurrection, Secret Relationship, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Serious Injuries, Temporary Character Death, This "Alpha Funhouse AU" is actually not that fun, We're getting real serious now, tiny bit of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-03 17:26:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16330409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GraySonOfGotham/pseuds/GraySonOfGotham
Summary: Dick and Jason are given a choice, a choice they did not ask for.Both Tim and Damian lie on their death beds. One can live, at the cost of the other's life.Dick doesn't feel like he can take such an obligation because if he makes the wrong choice, the consequences are fatal.And everyone knows, cheating the system will always end up coming back and biting you in the ass.





	A Cursed Gift

On the night of October 31st, when most of the kids of Gotham were going from neighborhood to neighborhood, house to house trick-or-treating, the Batfamily was _not_ having a good night.

The evening started off rather lonely. Bruce was in the cave, working away as per usual. Alfred was minding the door, handing out candy for the kids that came by, and Damian was all alone in his room, just reading.

He had a vague idea where everyone else was, but they were all too busy to be “minding the baby”, as they called it behind Damian’s back when they thought he was not listening, just so he did not remind them for the umpteenth time that he is _seventeen_. But whenever he does that Jason gives him a pointed look, so he tried to keep it to a minimum.

Even his own boyfriend was at the penthouse, apparently too tired to bother returning all the way to the Manor.

As the peak of the night came around and the doorbell was constantly ringing, Damian gets a message that is sent through the emergency line, connected to all the members of the Batfamily. They were just coordinates.

Damian dashed down to the cave without another thought, Bruce already half dressed.

“What’s going on, Father?” Damian asked, following suit and donning the Robin suit. He felt a bit old for it, seeing that all his predecessors gave up the mantle before his age. However, there was no one else to take up the mantle of Robin in his stead, so Damian kept it.

“Scarecrow and Joker have teamed up at the Gotham Promenade Mall. They’ve got the place on lockdown. And they have several large containers of fear toxin and laughing gas. And I don’t have enough antidote for every single person in the mall, nor do I have to the time to make that much,” he grunted.

Damian nodded. He jumped on his motorbike, adjusted the comm in his ear and sped out of the cave. It took him a little less than ten minutes to arrive on scene. On the way, he explained the situation twice: once to Dick and Jason, another to Stephanie and Tim. Oracle took over then and spread the news to whoever else was on their way to help.

Damian was third to arrive on scene. Red Robin and Spoiler had already evacuated the north side of the mall, the farthest away from where Joker and Scarecrow were currently situated, in the center of the mall. He decided they looked well enough off, so he jumped down on top of the large barrels marked with spray painted skulls or smiley faces.

He landed with a clang, alerting the two, who were currently directing Joker’s men how to place the hoses so they can release the gases into the maximum area possible.

“Got here faster than I planned,” Joker said. “But Bats won’t be too far behind then.” He cackled. “Get ready for a _real_ treat, little birdie.”

Damian growled. He hated when people still called him “little”, damn it. Whipping out a handful of batarangs, he easily knocked aside two masked men that were starting towards him. Joker pulled out a gun then. He shot at Damian twice.

“Get out of here already!” he shouted. “Don’t you know not to mess around in your Daddy’s business?!”

Damian threw another batarang, this time aimed at Joker’s gun. Joker moved out of the way, and the sharp metal lodged itself into the sides of one of the canisters of fear toxin.

Joker giggled. “Oh, looks like the festivities are starting early today.” He pulled the batarang out and threw it back at Damian.

Damian watched in horror as murky green gas started flowing out of the canister. Just then, a black shadow dropped down in front of him.

“Robin, go help get the civilians on the west end out of the mall,” Batman growled. “I’ll take care of these two.”

“But-”

“ _Go_ ,” his father snarled.

Damian shot out of there without another word. He knew better than to argue with his father, especially when it came to the Joker. He will never understand their relationship. Damian hustled the rest of the civilians out of the mall, searching each store thoroughly to make sure no one was still hidden somewhere.

He called it clear into the comms.

The north end was clear, the south end was clear, the east and west ends were clear, the perimeter was clear. But there was still no news from Batman himself.

Worried, Damian doubled back. He climbed up onto the glass dome that stretched over the top of the center of the mall. From there, he can see the contraptions Joker and Scarecrow set up, with several hoses that fed into each wing of the mall. A large hole in the glass marked where Batman had originally jumped down from.

Damian held his breath. There were four open canisters of fear toxin, two open canisters of laughing gas. The gases were slowly filling up every inch of the mall. Batman was fighting both Scarecrow and the Joker, his gas mask on his face. The few men that were setting up the contraptions were currently writhing on the ground.

Damian was about to move when Dick and Jason landed on the glass beside him. “We’ll get them out,” Dick said. “I brought extra masks,” he said.

Damian nodded shortly, watching as Nightwing and Red Hood jumped into there, easily dodging whatever weapons were accidentally sent their way, scooped up the three men and brought them up through the glass.

“Shit, that stuff is strong,” Jason coughed, even though he also had a gas mask on. “Even with a mask, I don’t think B will last long in there.”

Damian gritted his teeth. “C’mon, c’mon,” he said under his breath. He wanted to jump in and help, but his father had a very strict rule that they were not allowed to interfere when it came to him and the Joker.

Then, his eyes zeroed in on something in the west wing of the mall. The gases were slowly making their way into there, the colors mixing into an eerie green color. And a little girl dressed as a skeleton huddled in the racks of a clothing store.

“There’s a kid in there!” Damian said. He cursed loudly. “I won’t be able to get to her in time, is there anyone-”

He didn’t manage to finish his sentence before he saw Batman slam Scarecrow into the fountain, knocking him unconscious and leaving him there. He got a shot in on Joker, slicing through his left arm with a batarang. Then, he ran towards the west wing.

“No!” Damian cried out when Batman removed his own gas mask and fixed it onto the girl’s face. He said something to her, and she nodded minutely.

“Fuck,” Jason said urgently. He set down the thug he had been supporting. “Wing, Robin, get them to Spoiler and Red. They have the antidotes. I’m going to get the girl.”

“What about Batman?” Damian asked, taking up the thug that was whimper and twitching violently.

“He’s not done with Joker,” Jason growled. “I’ll give him one of the extra masks though.”

“Hood-” But Jason jumped through the glass hole already.

Damian growled. He followed Dick off the dome and set the thugs down on the ground outside the cleared perimeter, where Tim and Stephanie went around checking to make sure everyone was fine and did not breathe in any of the gases. They spotted Damian and Dick and hurried over.

“Which one?” Tim asked.

“Both, probably? It’s all mixed up in there,” Damian snapped. He looked up towards the dome again, where Jason appeared with the crying girl. “I have to get back there. Father might need help.”

“Robin, you have to trust Batman. He’ll make it out fine,” Dick said with a hand on his shoulder. Damian shrugged him off and shot off up there again. “Robin!”

The gases were so thick by then that Damian could barely see through it all. The fight had moved back to the fountain area. Batman’s movements were slowly drastically. The Joker cackled, completely unaffected by the gases.

Dick and Jason came back up. “Damian, get away from the hole, we have to keep the gases trapped inside,” Dick said. He had a large tarp in his hands.

“Batman’s still in there,” Damian argued. “Just a little longer.”

“We can’t wait any longer!” Jason said. “He has to stay in there and light the gases on fire, otherwise they’ll never disperse.” They lowered the tarp over the hole and sealed it.

Damian bit his lower lip, still watching through the glass. A moment later, fire consumed the area, spreading through the mall like a torrent of water. Still, Batman had yet to appear. As the flames licked up every inch of the mall, consuming the toxic gases inside, Damian saw a flash of black, collapsed by the canisters of gases. Joker was nowhere to be seen.

Damian ripped the tarp away and jumped inside without another word.

“Damian!” Dick shouted.

Tim landed next to them. “Did that idiot just jump in there?!” he yelped. “Fuck,” he swore before diving in after him.

“Tim?!” Dick exclaimed again. Did his brothers suddenly lose all sense?

Damian rushed to Bruce’s side, turning him over onto his back. He was twitching and moaning quietly, his face covered with perspiration.

There was a quiet giggle behind him, and Damian whipped around to see a gun pointed right at his face. Just as he squeezed his eyes shut and Joker pulled the trigger, the Joker was tackled out of the way and the bullet ricocheted off the marble statue of the fountain.

It was Tim. Damian’s heart skipped a beat, wanting to drag his idiotic boyfriend out of there, but he had to get his father out first.

Damian shot a line back up, bringing his father with him. It was a bit of a difficult task. Just as Dick and Jason got a good hold of Bruce, the glass the Damian had been using to support their combined weight collapsed, and he went crashing back down into the flames. He hit his head on one of the metal canisters, immediately disoriented.

Damian struggled to stop his vision from swimming, and it was getting difficult to breathe with the smoke and see with the burning flames. He watched through blurry eyes as the Joker sent Tim flying backwards into the canisters. Tim collapsed into a heap at the base of it.

Damian cried out and crawled over to him.

“Tim, Tim, baby, wake up,” Damian said hoarsely. The Joker took slow steps towards them, laughing. “C’mon, baby, _wake up._ ”

Damian saw everything in slow motion. Joker raised his gun, pointing it at the canisters behind them. He fired a shot. When the bullet hit the metal of compressed gasses, it exploded. Damian wrapped himself around Tim. He heard screaming and laughter, and he felt excruciating pain everywhere, and it felt like he was inhaling the fire.

But it was all fading fast.

The darkness came rolling in, and everything stopped.

~

Dick leaned his head on Jason’s shoulder, his leg bouncing rapidly. Jason had his arm around Dick’s waist, holding him close.

“Jay, what would we do if they don’t make it?” he asked in a low whisper.

“Don’t say that, Dickie,” Jason replied harshly. “Don’t give up on them. They’re strong. They’ll make it.”

Dick let out a soft sob.

They were all gathered at the hospital. It was a special hospital tucked into the mountains of Upstate New York. A hospital that catered to the needs of metahumans and more often than not, the members of the Batfamily. They do not go there often, only when absolutely necessary.

The little clinic style hospital is run by an old Japanese couple who have studied the old arts of healing for a long time. They claimed it to be part healing, part magic. It seemed like a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo half the time, but it worked wonders.

So the large family was gathered in the waiting room. Bruce was still asleep, having been given heavy doses of antidotes for both gases, and then sleeping pills to let him recuperate. So he had yet to find out about Damian and Tim.

After the explosion, the entire glass dome of the mall blew off. Dick and Jason had been thrown back, and the fire roared up even more. There was a five minute period in which it was too dangerous to go in to search for them. But the minute the flames died down enough, the two wasted no time jumping in.

They found them both unconscious, Tim lying in the shallow water of the fountain, a large block of marble crushing down on his chest. Damian had blown into the north wing, covered in major burns with a metal pipe stuck into his stomach. It did not look good for them.

After what felt like several hours, the old man came out. He bowed deeply before speaking. “I apologize for the wait,” he said.

Jason stood up. “Just tell us if they’re going to make it or not,” he snapped.

“Jay,” Dick said softly. He stood up besides Jason. “Well, Doctor? Are they- Are they okay?”

The man grimaced. “I would not define their state as okay.” He held up a finger to stop them from interrupting. “However, I do have news. Good and bad.”

“Good news first because I need something to be relieved about,” Jason growled.

The doctor nodded, not put off by Jason’s threatening expression. “Timothy Drake is stable at the moment.”

“And… Dami?” Dick asked tentatively.

The doctor shook his head. “That is the bad news, I’m afraid. We do not believe he will make it.”

Dick’s fingers dug into Jason’s arm. “Wh-What?”

The doctor cleared his throat again. “His situation is quite bleak. He is showing little improvement, and he has been doused with both toxins. However, we cannot give him the antidotes because the antidotes will tire him out physically, and it will interfere with his  physical healing. His body is already barely able to sustain itself in his current state.” He looked gravely at Dick and Jason. “Mr. Wayne is not here to make this decision, so I must ask you. You can save one of them for sure. Our hospital is built over a magic hot spring. However, the powers of the spring only work once every lunar cycle.”

Dick paled. “I can’t- I can’t choose between my brothers!” he exclaimed. “Didn’t you say Tim is fine?”

The doctor’s lips pressed together. “I said he is stable for the moment. He can still very well die. He just has a greater chance of survival than your other brother.”

“And this- this spring can heal Damian?” Jason asked. “Completely?”

“Physically. Whatever he’s fighting up in his mind right now can only be dealt with once his physical state is healed,” the doctor said. He looked between Dick and Jason and the rest of the family members that were listening attentively. “I will give you some time to think. But please make this choice quickly.”

The doctor made a quick exit.

Dick collapsed back into his chair when the doctor left. “Jay,” he said weakly. “Tell me this isn’t real. Tell me this is a nightmare. That I just inhaled a lungful of Scarecrow’s fear toxin.”

Jason did not respond, just holding Dick a little bit tighter.

Dick looked up. “Alfred, what do you suggest we do? This isn’t something I can choose. If anyone, Bruce should decide!”

“I don’t… I don’t know, Master Dick,” Alfred said. “I fear Master Bruce will not wake in time to make such a decision.”

“We have to choose,” Stephanie said. “If we don’t, we might lose both of them.”

Dick shuddered at that thought. He took a deep breath. “Then who?” he asked. “Doctor said Tim has a greater chance of making it than Damian does, but it is not certain.”

“We can have Tim use the pool, and if Damian dies, send him to his mother’s and have her dunk in the Pit,” Jason offered.

Dick gave him an alarmed look. “No! Who knows what that will do to him! You’ve said before that during the year after the Pit, you wished actually were dead instead of being revived by the Pit.”

Jason’s lips pressed tightly together. “He can deal with it.” Under his breath, he muttered, “He would never forgive me if I picked him over Tim anyway.”

“Damian does have a greater chance of surviving the Pit,” Kate added. She was the one that flew them over to Upstate New York on such short notice. “He will know how to deal with it as well.”

Dick’s teeth gritted together. Their arguments made sense. But he still hesitated.

“Dickie,” Jason said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “They’re not going to die. Not for long, at least. Nearly every member of this family has been dunked in there. We’re all mostly okay, right? It’s practically a rite of passage.”

Dick cracked the smallest of smiles. “He doesn’t… have anyone, though,” Dick whispered. “I mean, he has us, but he won’t talk to us. I don’t want him to go through more psychological torture.”

“I know, I know,” Jason said. “We all want what’s best for them. And while neither situation seems to be good at the moment, I can assure you, Damian will be fine. He has his ways.”

Dick swallowed hard. “Okay. Fine. We’ll- We’ll do it that way.”

A minute later, the doctor returned. “Have you made your decision yet?”

Dick nodded minutely. He scanned the stressed faces of the rest of the family again. “Yes,” he said.

~

It happened as they predicted.

Tim was submerged in the magic spring, and he woke up healed, not remembering a thing. However, the minute he woke up, Damian slipped away.

They were in a panic, not expecting for him to go so soon. With no time to actually send him to Talia, they mounted his body onto Kate’s plane and flew him back to the cave. Bruce still had yet to wake up, so he was not there to stop them.

The entire plane ride over, Tim cried over Damian’s body. Jason just calmly explained it as shock. Everyone believed him, thankfully.

Damian’s body was slowly lowered into the Pit in the cave, and he was submerged under there for an entire five minutes before he sat up gasping for air.

Jason had to physically hold Tim back from jumping into the Pit while Damian climbed out, disoriented and extremely confused. He had a slightly haunted look in his eyes, more likely effects of the fear toxin and Joker gas, but he seemed fine overall.

Three hours later, Jason managed to shoo away the rest of the family and let Tim sob grossly over his newly revived boyfriend. It was a disgustingly messy sight, but somewhat cute, in a sickening way.

“You _died_ , Dami, you fucking idiot!” Tim screamed, smacking Damian across the face. “What the hell were you thinking?!”

“From what I understand, it was me or you,” Damian said calmly, sipping his hot cocoa. He really seemed to be taking the whole Lazarus Pit thing well. Could it be that it had no effects on him due to his heritage? Jason was more than a little jealous about that. “And I’m not dead anymore,” Damian pointed out.

Tim’s teeth ground together. “You’ve died _twice_ now, and you’re not even legally an adult yet!” Tim shouted. “I get that you want to protect people, but… take care of yourself too. Please.”

Jason had never heard Tim’s voice sound so broken. He felt kind of bad for listening in on their conversation, but he had promised to keep watch at the door.

“I’m sorry,” Damian whispered. He reached forward and brushed strands of Tim’s short hair out of his face. “I’m fine now, right? So there’s nothing to be worried about.”

Tim sniffled. “You got lucky twice. There might not be a third time, Dami.”

“I know.”

Tim was silent for a long while. “Sorry for yelling at you. I guess I don’t really have an excuse either,” he said with a self-deprecating laugh. “How’re you- How’re you feeling? You don’t… feel anything weird yet?”

Damian shook his head. “No, actually. I feel fine.” He gave Tim a reassuring smile. “Guess it’s the effect when your grandfather uses the Pit a few hundred times, and your mother also uses it from time to time.”

Tim snorted. “How humble of you.”

Damian laughed. He pulled Tim in and hugged him tightly. Tim rested his head against Damian’s chest, closing his eyes and just hearing Damian’s steady heartbeat. “Hey, Tim,” Damian said softly. “Let’s go upstairs, ‘kay? Sleep it off. Tomorrow morning you’ll feel better.”

“Okay,” Tim agreed.

When they turned the corner, Jason was surprised to see Tim on Damian’s back, his arms locked tightly around his neck, his face pressed into Damian’s shoulder. Damian gave Jason a glare saying, _Don’t you dare laugh right now_. Jason kept his mouth shut.

He let them pass, watching them disappear down the hall. Then, Jason also turned in for the night. He fell into bed next to Dick, letting the fatigue of the night finally rest fully on his shoulders. He closed his eyes and knocked right out.

However, peace was not completely restored.

Around four in the morning, Tim stirred. He yawned quietly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. The bed twitched slightly, and Tim frowned, turning over to look at Damian.

Damian looked like he was having a nightmare. His eyes were screwed shut tightly, his eyebrows furrowed. He was frowning, and his hands fisted the sheets. Occasionally, a tremor would run through his body. Tim pushed himself up a bit and put a hand on Damian’s forehead. He did not feel feverish. Scarecrow’s fear toxin also induced fever, but Damian feel more cool to the touch than anything.

Maybe he was just having a nightmare.

“Damian,” Tim whispered, shaking Damian’s shoulder lightly. Damian did not stir, just frowning deeper a bit. “Damian,” Tim said a bit louder. He lightly slapped Damian’s cheek. Something was wrong now. Damian was a light sleeper. “Damian?”

Damian’s eyes snapped open, and Tim gasped.

Damian’s eyes were bright, glowing green, The same green that is the color of the magical waters of the Lazarus Pit.

A cold sneer drew across Damian’s lips. _“Timothy_ ,” he sneered. In a flash, before Tim had a chance to react, Damian was on top of him, his hands wrapped tightly around Tim’s neck, strangling him.

Tim struggled, trying to pry Damian’s hands off, but they were like steel bands, cutting off his air supply completely.

Tim’s mind was still half-asleep, so his reactions were a bit slower than usual. He tried to throw Damian off, he tried twisting out of his grip, but Damian’s inhuman strength pinned him there, and Tim was unable to break away.

His lungs burned, and he could feel himself get weaker.

 _“That’s right_ ,” Damian hissed. _“I’ve always found it ironic for people that choke to death. Surrounded by oxygen, and yet…”_ Damian’s head tilted to the left, his glowing green eyes squinting a little, his smile shrank a little before growing back twice as big. _“And yet, unable to breathe it. It’s like drowning in the very thing that gives you life. Rather poetic, don’t think?”_

“D… Da…mi,” Tim rasped out. His head was throbbing heavily now, his hands clawing uselessly at nothing. He could not fight against Damian. He was going to die at this rate. No, it was more ironic that he would die at the hands of his lover, not even five hours after being brought back from the brink of death. It was probably just life playing a cruel joke. What a waste of the magic spring. Wasted on a life that was taken soon afterwards anyway. If Damian had been placed in the spring, all of this could have probably been avoided.

Tim felt his eyes slipping shut, his mind shutting down. He stopped fighting. He just let his hands rest on top of Damian’s, feeling the steady pulse of Damian’s wrists under his fingers. He let his eyes shut, and Tim welcomed the darkness that came with it.

In his mind, he echoed a litany of _I love you’s_ , wanting it to be the last thing on his mind before he died.

His lungs stopped burning.

Tim felt the pressure weighing down on him lift, and Tim smiled with the last of his strength. Death felt… almost freeing.

Then, of course, since his name was Tim Drake, and he lived in the damned city that is Gotham, and he just happened to have gotten on Life’s bad side at some point in his twenty some years of existence, his eyes snapped open again, and all his senses came crashing back to him.

He was gasping loudly, inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, which explained why his lungs stopped burning.

And Damian had thrown himself to the opposite corner of the bed, his eyes were no longer glowing, but held absolute terror. He clutched his hands, and he was shaking like a leaf, staring at Tim.

Tim touched his throat, and it hurt. It would definitely bruise. That was going to be a bitch to cover up or explain.

“Dami…” he rasped, reaching towards Damian.

“No!” Damian exclaimed. “Stay back! I-” he fell off the bed and scrambled to his feet, running backwards until his back hit the wall of Tim’s room. “I- I nearly _killed_ you,” he said, his voice cracking. He looked horrified. “I couldn’t control myself, and I just had the urge to- to-” he let out a half strangled sob. “I’m so sorry,” he blurted out before bolting from the room.

Tim watched him go, mouth agape.

What the _hell_ just happened?

~

Damian had no idea where he was going, but he had to get far, far away from Tim. He found himself in the cave. He climbed into the Batmobile and locked the doors from the inside, panting heavily. He stared down at his hands, trembling.

He could still feel Tim’s hands scratching at his hands, but left no mark. He could feel Tim’s warm neck pulsing under his hand as his struggled to breathe.

His words echoed in his head. They came out of his mouth, with a distorted version of his voice, but they were not _his_ words. Damian remembered the too real feeling of bloodlust beating in his entire being.

Damian had no idea what happened to him. He remembered falling asleep, with Tim curled around him. Then, he was suddenly awake, watching helplessly as his body choked Tim. Damian had no idea how he regained control either.

One minute he was cackling at Tim’s helplessness. But then Tim stopped fighting him, and Damian snapped back into his own body. He immediately let go, his screams finally tearing out of his mouth with his own voice.

Damian curled up in the driver’s seat of the Batmobile, pulling his knees to his chest. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he managed. Damian closed his eyes and breathed in the calming scent of leather and his father’s cologne that he and his brothers used to joke smelled like fear.

The smell made him feel a bit better, safer. He might have fallen asleep like that, feeling exhausted.

Damian woke up to someone rapping on the window of the Batmobile. It was Dick.

Damian startled, tensing up immediately. Maybe if he stayed silent, Dick would not know he was in there. There was no way Dick could see in through the windows anyway.

“Dami, I know you’re in there,” Dick said softly. “Please come out. We’re all worried about you.”

Damian did not answer, curling up tighter. Of course Dick would know. It was Dick. Damian used to hide in the Batmobile all the time when he was younger. After arguments, after being embarrassed, after failing at something.

“Go away,” he said tightly.

“Dami,” Dick said. “It’s okay. Please come out, Little D. Tim told us what happened. We’re not blaming you. We just want to understand.”

“ _I_ don’t even understand,” Damian spat. “So go away and leave me alone.”

Dick sighed. He left. Damian buried his head in his knees again. A minute later, there was a softer knock on the door.

“Damian.”

It was Tim.

Damian tensed up even further, all the thoughts he had been trying to banish rushing back like they had never left.

“Please come out,” Tim said. His voice was completely ruined. It sounded like he was struggling to speak, like it pained him immensely to be using his bruised vocal chords. “Please.”

“No,” Damian said again. “If I come out, I’m going to end up hurting or _killing_ someone again. I can’t risk that!”

“Dami, baby… please,” Tim said softly. “Please. You won’t hurt me anymore. It’ll be okay. Something happened with the Pit, so it’s not your fault. We can’t solve this if you don’t help us.”

“No,” Damian insisted again.

There was a dull thump against the window, followed by silence. Damian snuck a look up. Tim leaned his forehead against the glass, looking in at Damian, even though he could not see him. Still, Damian felt like Tim could see him, all the way down to his soul.

And god, his throat was a mess. Purple finger marks wrapped all the way around his thin neck. Damian let out a dry, choked sob at that sight. He quickly looked away again.

“Damian,” Tim tried again. “It hurts to talk, okay? And it’s not your fault, so please… stop blaming yourself,” he said. “I’m not going away. I’m going to keep standing here and talking to you until you come out.”

Damian winced silently.

“Bruce is awake,” Tim said. He laughed softly, but it sounded like hacking coughs instead. “He’s really worried, even though he doesn’t show it. You know how that’s going to weigh down on him for the next few years. Knocked out for twelve hours and in that span of time, one of his sons nearly died twice, the other died, came back through the Pit, and then tried to kill the first.”

“Stop, stop it!” Damian cried out. “Stop talking, Tim!”

“Then come out, Dami,” Tim said. He swallowed hard. It hurt like hell. “I can be as stubborn as you are. Have you forgotten we’re both alphas?” He smiled a little.

Damian was silent. “You… told them about us?”

“I had to,” Tim said. “It was hard to explain otherwise why I was trying to wake you up and why you choked me in my own bed.” He laughed again. “Damn, that sounds kinky.”

“Tim,” Damian said. He took a deep breath. “Stop, please.”

“I’m on the verge of singing,” Tim joked.

“No, stop. You’re just hurting yourself. I’m not coming out.”

“But we already did, baby bat,” Tim said. “I did it for us. Aren’t you feeling liberated? Jaybird was right. Dick didn’t care. Probably would have celebrated if he hadn’t thought you were dying in a ditch somewhere. Same with Bruce. He was more worried about you than the fact that I’m fucking his youngest.”

Damian turned back to Tim, looking up at his boyfriend, his lover, his brother, his darling, his confidant, his teammate, his alpha.

Damian cracked the smallest of smiles. “You sure he won’t be more pissed about the fact that I’m fucking his favorite?” he asked, disguising his voice crack with a laugh.

Tim smiled. “Nah. I think he’ll be more angry at Jason for keeping it a secret. Besides, Dickie is definitely his favorite. Once we solve this, Bruce might run Jay out of Gotham for good.”

Damian laughed weakly. “Oh, no. Poor Todd.”

“Poor _Dick_.”

“Poor us,” Damian said with a slightly larger smile. “Guess Todd won’t be coming to our wedding.”

“No, I suppose not.” They were silent for a few seconds, just staring at each other, though Tim could not see Damian. “Come out, baby.”

Damian swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said. Tim stepped back. A few seconds later, Damian opened the door and uncurled. His legs were grateful to be out of that uncomfortable position. He climbed out of the seat and stood, his bare feet on the cold cave floor.

He did not dare look up and meet Tim’s eyes.

Suddenly, Tim rushed forward and pulled him in, hugging him roughly. Damian stiffened. “Tim, you shouldn’t-”

“I couldn’t sleep without you,” Tim said, his wrecked voice muffled in Damian’s shoulder.

Damian kept his arms held to his sides. “I can’t- I couldn’t risk hurting you again.”

“Shh,” Tim said. “Just let me… hold you for a while.” They stood there for a couple minutes, Tim just hugging Damian tightly.  Finally, he gave Damian one extra squeeze before pulling away. He smiled a little. “You smell like Bruce.”

Damian’s first reaction is to roll his eyes, but he also wanted to wince. So his face just twitched weirdly, and Tim laughed. “I don’t think that’s a good thing,” Damian grunted.

“I like it,” Tim said. “You smell… manly.”

Damian rolled his eyes this time. “Okay, now I’m offended you didn’t think I was manly before. And I’m also offended you _like_ the way Father smells. You’re not supposed to like the way another alpha smells, Tim.”

“I like the way you smell, no matter what you smell like.” Tim’s grin became wolfish. “Then, I can have an excuse to make you smell like me again.”

“ _Oh_ , so you’ve been _scenting_ me,” Damian scoffed. Then he smiled sheepishly. “But I’d be a hypocrite if I made fun of you for it.”

Tim took Damian’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go up.” They slowly made their way up the stairs. Damian was extremely reluctant to go, but Tim kept tugging him forward.

Tim gave Damian’s hand a reassuring squeeze before they entered the parlor. The second they turned the corner, Dick was on his feet.

He pushed Tim aside and swept Damian up in a hug. “Oh, you poor baby,” he cried. “Are you okay, Dami? Talk to me, baby bat.” He pulled back and squeezed Damian’s face between his hands. “Does this hurt? Little D, c’mon, say something.”

“Lergo uh me,” Damian said between his squeezed cheeks.

“Ah!” Dick cried dramatically. He spun on his heels and promptly fell over. Jason rushed forward with a loud curse to catch him. Dick landed in Jason’s arms, his hand on his forehead like a damsel in distress. “He was speaking fine before! Timmy, what did you do?”

Tim rolled his eyes. He sat down on the couch across from Bruce, crossing his legs. Damian rubbed his cheeks, avoiding his father’s eyes. He walked over slowly to the couches, unsure of where to sit.

Tim stared at him and patted the spot next to him. Damian looked away quickly and sat down at the other end of the couch. Everyone was silent for a brief moment. Then, Dick bounced out of Jason’s arms and plopped down next to Damian. Damian flinched.

“It’s okay,” Dick said soothingly. He put his arms around Damian’s hunched shoulders. “We know you won’t hurt any of us.”

“You don’t know that,” Damian grumbled. “I can’t control whatever it is.”

“It’s an effect of the Lazarus Pit,” Bruce said, staring at Damian intensely. “Tim described your eyes as the glowing green like the Pit’s waters. However, that is definitely not a normal effect of the Pit.”

“I know that,” Damian said. He frowned and hunched in on himself further. “Maybe it’s just _me_. Maybe the Pit activated something that has always been in me. Some- Some killer instinct.”

“Were you in control of your body during the… incident?” Bruce asked.

“No.”

“Then it’s not instinct, Damian. Instinct is controllable, though difficult,” Bruce said gently. “Do you have any idea what triggered it?”

Damian shook his head. “I was asleep and then I woke up with my hands around-” he cleared his throat and cut himself off.

Bruce nodded slowly. “Tim, did you notice anything odd before he woke up?”

“I tried waking him up because I thought he was having a nightmare,” Tim explained. “But he wouldn’t wake up, no matter how loudly I called his name, or shook his shoulder. After that, he woke up.”

Bruce frowned. “Damian, do you remember having a nightmare?”

Damian shook his head slowly. It was the first time he was hearing it from Tim’s perspective too. He sighed heavily. “Maybe you should accept that it’s just… me.”

“No, no,” Dick said quickly. “It’s not you. You’re a perfect little angel, Dami! There’s no way that’s just you!”

Damian gave him a tired glare, but Dick completely ignored it. Bruce stared at the tea Alfred had brought in a while ago. None of the cups were touched, sitting there and cooling. “I will run some tests,” Bruce finally said. “If then, I still can’t find anything, I’ll ask your mother.”

“Mother?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow. “You think she’ll know?”

Bruce sighed. “She certainly knows the effects of the Lazarus Pit better than I.”

Damian scowled at the tea on the coffee table too. Tim wanted to comment on how much he looked like Bruce at that moment, the two of them just glaring at the tea like it offended them greatly on a personal level.

“I still think it’s just me,” he finally said.

Dick sighed and reached over and hugged Damian from the side. He patted Damian’s back. “Oh, Damian, Damian, Damian, it’s _not_ your fault.”

Damian closed his eyes. He started laughing, the sound cold, dark, and cruel. “ _Are you so sure about that, Grayson_?”

Dick immediately went to pull away, but Damian acted fast. His eyes snapped open, bright glowing green. Damian twisted Dick’s arms around. There was a loud pop and Dick cried out as his arm popped out of its socket. Damian stood in a flash and tossed Dick over his shoulder, bringing him down on the coffee table, smashing it to pieces.

“Damian!” Tim yelled.

 _“Shut up, Drake,_ ” he snarled. “ _I’ll deal with you later_.”

Damian smirked down at Dick, who looked up at him with wide eyes. He brought his arm back to punch Dick across the face, but his fist was caught from behind.

Damian found himself twisted around and tossed onto the couch, one fist held above his head. Jason glowered down at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jason demanded. “Snap out of it! You just dislo-”

Damian easily broke out of his grip, delivering a sharp upper cut. Jason groaned and tumbled off of him, stumbling from the hit.

“Holy _shit_ , he hits like a powerhouse!” he gasped, cupping his jaw.

Bruce was standing now, eyeing Damian warily. “Damian,” he said slowly. “Calm down.”

 _“Calm down, Father?”_ Damian laughed humorlessly. _“You want me to calm down? I have been calm. For seventeen years, I’ve been calm. Waiting, patient. Now’s my turn to play.”_

“Who are you?” Bruce asked, his voice a low growl.

Damian ignored him and launched himself at Bruce, tackling him in the stomach. Bruce fall back onto the couch. Damian punched Bruce right in the nose, and his fist came away bloody. He started laughing, and he punched him again. Bruce caught his third punch, just barely. Damian growled, pushing harder, and Bruce’s strength started wavering. “Damian…!” he warned again.

Just then, Jason came over again and pulled Damian off of Bruce, tossing him into the wall. Damian hit the wall with a grunt. He was back on his feet in no time.

Bruce, Jason, Dick with his dislocated arm and a gash bleeding on his arm, and Tim with his bruised, swollen neck had formed a half circle around him. Damian bared his teeth and growled.

 _“There’s no use in fighting me,_ ” he said. _“I’ll always win. You can’t beat me_.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed, and his fists clenched a little harder. Then, he flew at Damian. Damian took Jason’s oncoming force and turned it against him, flipping him around and tossing him into Dick.

 _“Fine, we’ll do it the hard way_ ,” Damian sneered. _“At some point, I’m going to get tired, and I’m going to start killing. It’s your choice_.”

Bruce stepped forward. He matched Damian in hand-in-hand for a few seconds longer than the others before he was on his knees, his arm twisted painfully behind his back to the point of ripping out of its socket like Dick’s.

Jason was back on his feet. He spat blood out onto Alfred’s precious rug. “Alright, you little demon,” he snarled. “I’m done playing games.”

 _“Good,”_ Damian said. _“Then maybe I’ll get some actually worthy adversaries._ ”

Jason started at him. He threw a punch that Damian easily dodged. Damian grabbed his fist, but Jason predicted that. He swept Damian’s feet out from underneath him. Tim came up behind him to help, but Damian swung around on Jason’s arm and kicked Tim in the fact. He landed a few feet away, in front of the windows. He laughed cruelly. Jason charged at him again, and Bruce from the back. Damian kicked Bruce in the stomach before throwing Jason at the window.

He did not break through the window, but Jason did rip the curtains down. Tim watched in horror as Damian slipped the metal curtain rod from the curtains. He broke the long stick in half just by bending it. Tim’s gaze flickered to Dick, who was struggling to get back on his feet, his arm really twisted out of shape. He also looked like he got the wind knocked out of him rather badly. Jason was not a light projectile, despite being an omega. He was a two-hundred fifty pound omega of stiff muscle and sharp bones.

Damian approached where Jason cursed and thrashed in the curtains. Bruce yelled at him to get off of him, and Damian just laughed. He raised the metal bar. Tim ran forward and tackled Damian to the ground. Damian had a quicker recovery time. A second later, Tim was pinned down on the ground, and Damian raised the bar above his head.

But Tim was ready. He had a theory to test. It was a stupid idea to test with his life, but he had no choice.

He heard Dick scream out his name, and he squeezed his eyes shut as Damian brought the bar down with a sneer.

But he never got hit. A second scream joined Dick’s, choked and gasping with unsteady breaths. Tim cracked an eye open. Damian dropped the bar and scrambled away from Tim. He screamed again, tearing at his hair and curled up in a tight ball at the base of the couch. He started crying.

Tim’s heart was still pounding loudly in his head as he crawled over and put a hand on Damian’s shoulder. His heart broke at the way Damian flinched and quickly pushed Tim’s hand away.

“Don’t- Don’t touch me!” he yelled. “Do you _want_ to die?! Huh? Are you asking for me to kill you, Tim?! Because I’ve nearly done that twice now!” He was hyperventilating, his eyes crazed.

“No, Dami, no! I figured it out, Dami,” Tim said.

“Then please share with the class,” Jason groaned, finally appearing from the mess of curtains. He rolled off of Bruce. “Fuck, baby bat, you hit hard.”

Damian sobbed out again.

“Ah, shit,” Jason said. “I didn’t meant that.” He sat down on the couch by Damian. “Hey, look, no hard feelings, yeah?” He went to go put a hand on Damian’s head. Damian jumped and moved away. He stood quickly and put distance between himself and his family. They all watched him as he slowly backed away like a cornered prey animal surrounded by predators.

“I’m- I’m sorry,” Damian choked out. His eyes filled with tears anew as he looked at Dick’s broken arm, Jason’s badly bruised face, the cuts on Tim’s face and the imprint of his fingers around his neck, and Bruce’s bloody face and broken nose.

He scanned the room one more time before running from the room. He passed Alfred on the way but ignored the butler when he tried calling after Damian.

Damian ran out of the Manor barefoot. By the time the rest of his family had the sense to follow him, Damian was gone.

~

Later in the cave, Jason had reset Dick’s arm and bandaged up the rest of him.

Bruce and Tim were running tests in the other room based on Tim’s theory that Damian’s other side is activated when someone says his name three times in a row. Tim had called Damian’s name three times trying to wake him. Then, Dick also called Damian three times when trying to comfort him.

And both times, Damian returned to normal when Tim did not fight back. Bruce argued that it could just be Tim, but Tim thought that maybe it was a loophole. That Damian would not attack anyone that did not attack him back. That way, Damian could be controlled like a living, breathing killing machine that could be turned on and off at will.

Bruce was not very convinced by Tim’s theory, but Tim gave a bit more evidence. Damian attacked Dick because Dick was hugging him. Damian also attacked Tim the night before because Tim was shaking him. But before, Damian focused on Dick because the rest of them did not make a move towards him. However, when Jason and Bruce talked to him, Damian must have taken it as threatening. But had they not fought back, Damian would have turned back.

Dick did not care about the theory. He was just devastated that Damian was out there somewhere, all alone in his current state.

“Jay, imagine how scared he is,” he said.

“He’s strong,” Jason said. “He’ll be fine. I was fine.”

“No, you weren’t,” Dick argued. “You weren’t fine for a long time after the Pit. You just don’t want to remember.”

Jason did not answer. It was quite true after all. He continued slowly wrapping up Dick’s other arm.

“Jay,” Dick said slowly, his voice soft and sad. “I’ve been thinking this past day… after everything that’s happened.” Dick swallowed hard. “I don’t think we’re fit for kids.”

Jason looked up at him in surprise. Dick met his eyes, his face pained, his eyes shining with what could be tears. “What?” Jason breathed out. “But you’ve always-”

“I know,” Dick said. “And I still _do_ , but- but… not like this. Look at B. He’s got us, and we’re all grown up and he _still_ worries over us, blaming himself for every little thing.”

“We’re not like B,” Jason insisted. “We will do it right.”

“What’s right, Jay?” Dick asked desperately. “Neither of us really have a good father figure to look up to. I don’t- I don’t want my child getting hurt or possibly killed.” His head dropped. “I can’t even take care of Damian properly.”

Jason pulled Dick in a fierce hug. “Damian was _not_ your fault, Dickie. I want to blame myself too. I want to tell myself that it was my idea to immerse him in the Pit, so it’s my fault he’s like that. But I’m not going to. Well, I’m not going to blame it entirely on myself, at least. You know why? Because you taught me not to.”

Dick pulled back and stared at Jason with desolate eyes. “But-”

“ _How_? How is Damian’s situation your fault?” Jason demanded, gripping Dick’s shoulders tightly. Dick winced when he applied pressure to his previously dislocated shoulder, but Jason did not ease up. “Give me one good reason.”

“I- I was the one who was in charge of him!” Dick protested. “I gave permission to put him into the Pit, even though I knew it would have horrible side effects!”

“We _all_ knew it would have side effects,” Jason said. “But we all agreed, didn’t we? Rather him alive and scared than dead.”

Dick did not look convinced. His eyes just grew sadder. “Is it really, Jay? Can you honestly tell me you never rather have stayed dead than came back?”

Jason’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Before, maybe.” He pulled a chair in and sat in front of Dick so that Dick now had to look down at him from where he sat on the examination table. Jason took Dick’s hands and kissed the backs of both of them. “That was before I had you. Before you gave me a reason to live.”

“Jay…”

Jason smiled softly. “And Damian has a reason too.” He nodded into the next room, where Bruce and Tim were still discussing theories. “He has a reason, and he _will_ fight for it.”

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't mean for this to be so long, oops. 
> 
> I don't really know how long I want this series to run for. Probably another two or three parts. The next part is centered around Damian by himself and a bit of self-discovery. And probably some side JayDick because I haven't really done much of them aside from the first part.
> 
> I won't update this series for a while after this (probably a month at the most, but probably not that long) since I want to wrap up my Mismatched Batboys AU before I start yet another series/fic I'm working on. So please be patient with me!
> 
> And I'm honestly so shocked by the immense amount of support on this series. Because it started out just me kind of wanting to write a/b/o porn, as I've mentioned before. That changed quickly.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, and leave me a comment, since they always make me want to write more! <3


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